Every year around the holidays, hospitals experience a shortage of blood due to busy schedules, travel, and general busyness of blood donors. Usually, this blood shortage only lasts a short while and is made less severe by blood banks’ ability to ship and share blood.
Because of an unusual amount of winter weather this year in the northeast, the blood shortage is lasting much longer than normal because winter weather is impeding people’s ability to donate and it is impeding how blood banks are able to share blood with one another.
WakeMed has been able to keep up with demand thus far, but our level of blood in storage is not where we need it to be – especially since we are in the midst of respiratory illness and flu seasons. That is why we are encouraging all eligible blood donors to call and schedule an appointment with your local Red Cross today.
Melanie Rice is a Pathology Supervisor on WakeMed Raleigh Campus.
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